Determined to support more students and bring high-impact tutoring to new communities, two years ago our team in California began working on plans for expansion. With support from California Volunteers, the team built a new partnership with the Moreno Valley Unified School District and moved quickly to get tutors serving at local schools. In the first year of the partnership, Reading Corps and Math Corps tutors supported more than 1,000 students! We recently spoke with program staff and school administrators about how they worked together to make it happen.
An Opportunity to Grow
“In the spring of 2023, we got a new grant from California Volunteers, the state’s AmeriCorps administrator,” remembers Amy Kasch-Vanek, Executive Director of California Programs. “I remember thinking ‘We want to expand. We want to serve more students. We can do this.’”
Senior Vice President of Regional Leadership, Audrey Borland searched for areas where tutors could make the greatest impact and Riverside County jumped to the top of the list. Just southeast of Los Angeles, Riverside is a sprawling and heavily populated county with more than 2.4 million people. Despite the county’s size, Riverside schools have relatively limited access to supplemental student support. Many of the services provided by nonprofits in southern California don’t operate in inland communities.
“There hadn’t really been AmeriCorps programs like ours in the region,” says Kasch-Vanek. “You’re right next to L.A. County and that’s where many of the programs operate in the state. If you just go inland a little, there is just as much need but not nearly as many service providers.”
Of the districts in Riverside County, Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) seemed like a great potential new partner. With tens of thousands of students and an existing framework for student services, the district was ready to collaborate. MVUSD administrators recognized that the added layer of targeted interventions could make their student support structure even stronger and they made the partnership official.
Getting Started in Riverside County
Thanks to the district’s hard work and already-robust structure, Reading Corps and Math Corps didn’t have to start small. While new partners often begin with just one or two sites, the team in Moreno Valley set out to place tutors at over 20 schools.
“I was born in Riverside, I grew up here, I went to school here,” says Coaching Specialist, Hugo Martinez. “When I saw the posting to work for Reading Corps and Math Corps here, I was like ‘Woah! This is really cool!’ It was an opportunity for me to give back to the community that helped to raise me.”
With the help of Martinez, and two other staff members, Nancy Corcia and Sheika Hurd, Reading Corps and Math Corps began to recruit and train 50 new tutors. By August, just a few months after receiving the initial grant, Reading and Math Tutors began serving students in Moreno Valley.
“Everyone was really invested,” remembers Corcia, whose daughter attends a Moreno Valley school. Because Reading Corps and Math Corps are designed to be administered at scale, the launch went smoothly, and tutors were able to begin making a difference right away.
“The success at MVUSD has been thanks to our strong, collaborative partnership,” explains Elizabeth Howland, Education Impact Manager for Reading Corps and Math Corps. “We have a shared commitment to student progress, and thanks to MVUSD’s coordinated efforts, we are seeing great results. It’s exciting to see students exceeding average benchmarks.”
Building Student Achievement
Over the course of the 2023-24 school year, the tutors serving across Moreno Valley made an unbelievable impact. 72% of Math Corps students showed significant growth on their benchmarks and got closer to grade targets. For Reading Corps students, that figure was 73%!
“The success we’ve seen in improving student outcomes—thanks to the intentional, high-impact tutoring provided to every student—has been nothing short of inspiring,” says Esperanza Arce, Ed.D., Chief Academic Officer for Moreno Valley USD. “The progress made in Moreno Valley underscores the power of collaboration and the impact that dedicated, research-backed tutoring can have on student success.”
In fact, the early returns on student improvements were so strong, that before the first year ended, the district committed to expanding both programs in 2024-25!
“We started at about 15 schools,” says Martinez. “By the end of the year, they agreed to place tutors at every elementary school in Moreno Valley!” he continues. “And even after placing one, two, or three tutors at their schools, the principals are all still asking for more and more tutors.”
Creating New Career Paths
Another powerful impact that Reading Corps and Math Corps made in Riverside County wasn’t just that it led to academic growth for students: it was life-changing for the tutors as well. The new openings for paid service with AmeriCorps represented a unique opportunity for many residents in Moreno Valley.
“If you know Riverside County, there are a lot of people working in factories and warehouses,” says Martinez. 75% of Moreno Valley‘s largest employers are warehouses and full-time experience in education allows many tutors to change their career trajectory. “We’re building a pipeline for educators. The need is there, and our programs are a prime opportunity.”
“These programs are a chance for adults to get experience in education, and even become teachers down the line,” adds Kasch-Vanek. “Creating career opportunities is at the heart of what we do in California.”
A Monumental First Year
Thanks to the team in Moreno Valley and the dozens of other people working to expand Reading Corps and Math Corps, the programs got off to an amazing start in 2023-24. With targeted, research-based interventions, nearly 500 students received support building their math skills and more than 530 students built stronger reading skills, meaning that together Riverside County tutors supported more than 1,000 students in their first year!
And the team isn’t slowing down. This year, tutors have already supported more than 1,200 students and counting! With your help, we can reach even more schools and more students next year.
Visit readingandmath.org/partner to find out how you can become a partner or go to join.readingandmath.org to see opening for tutors near you!